Cuddle Up with an Old Classic

This past week I finished up a couple of books which have certainly earned their role as a "classic" story. I happen to love not just an old story but an old copy of that story. I love that unmistakable old book smell and wish someone would make a candle! I'm not sure how well it would sell, but I would buy it! I like worn pages and even old markings like library stamps.



The boys and I read "Lassie Come Home". I found this at a used book sale at the library for .50. I wasn't sure if this was the original story version and after some research I found it was. I want to get the old movie and watch it together, which would be fun . We had another book just called Lassie which is what confused me. However, I know now that was from a movie that was made much later and it looks like to me it doesn't even go with the original story, so I stuck that in the donate pile. The book was fantastic and I would highly recommend everyone reading it or reading it again! The only part I didn't enjoy was trying to capture the accent when reading aloud to my boys. I'm sure I sounded more like a red neck wanna be, but they don't know the difference. We had some great discussions as we progressed through this story and there are some great lines into human and canine behavior. I thought I was going to come out of my seat when she got back on her trail after her first major injury, and I wanted to jump through the pages and beat those boys that were so mean to her when she was trying to cross the river. (great talk on unsupervised kids and making wise choices) We studied maps as we read, and even bought an atlas so we could track her trip a little better. It was memorable!



I also finished "The Good Earth" yesterday which was truly remarkable. My mom and I found an old copy at a used bookstore that is wonderful. The pages are a dull yellow and they aren't completely even at the edges. There are even some errors in the book and it looks as though each page was hand typed...the copying is so rough. It has a label on it that says even though it was produced in wartime it meets the government standards for paper conservation and other essential materials. I loved every page of this story and each time I wasn't reading it, I felt I was rushing around before the commercial break was over. I don't think I have ever had such a love/hate relationship with a character as I did with Wung Lang. He was a very dynamic man and I would hate him one chapter, adore him the next and my respect for him did the same wavering back and forth. However, I must of overall liked him, because the ending made me sad. This is a book full of characters that you can't forget! I found out it was the first in a series and I wonder if the next two are any good....Mom, I'm sure you will e-mail me on this one!